One who seeks sweat. One who finds happiness in hard work. One who finds strength in their squad and energy from their tribe. One who finds glory in the grind, and power in pain. One who goes the distance, stops at nothing, and always believes.
On the Commercial Street end of Hanover Street in Boston’s North End, a boutique gym is gearing up for its first full winter! mystryde, opened in early 2016 by Rebecca (Becca) Skudder, is a great alternative to solo outdoor runs. Step inside, and you will find 12 state of the art treadmills that look and feel different than the standard you would find at most gyms. Shorter and slightly wider with more give and treads, they are custom designed to make this experience healthier.
mystryde offers many classes to chose from, and all running abilities are welcome. I recently joined Erin for a Stryde class on a Saturday morning. It was in the 30’s outside reminding me that our New England winter was on the way! Upon arrival, the mystryde team explained how each student can chose their level throughout the 45 minute class. I decided to stick with beginner level since I was new, and the highest speed suggested on the mystryde card was 8.5 mph compared to the highest level for the advanced which is 12.5 mph. Changing speed and incline throughout the class, some intervals lasted 2 minutes but most were 30 seconds to 1 minute.
I loved the music and the variety in speed and incline (we maxed at level 8). Our instructor Erin Cairney joined us in running and at other moments she moved around the studio encouraging us and keeping us informed about what changes were coming (and how many more seconds of recovery were left!). The class wraps with some stretching at the treadmill and ample time (before the next class arrives) to use the mats and rollers to stretch on your own. I appreciated how both Rebecca and Erin checked in with all the participants both before and after the class.
New England winter is fast approaching, and this is a perfect alternative to running outside – keeping you warm and injury free while you take your workout to the next level. I love the varied class offerings available at the studio! Their Endurance class which involves longer intervals than the Stryde class and is similar to a tempo run. Another class option is Power Stryde, combining a treadmill workout with strength exercises. mystryde has half and full marathon training classes and an outdoor running club.
According to the mystryde website, a stryder is “One who seeks sweat. One who finds happiness in hard work. One who finds strength in their squad and energy from their tribe. One who finds glory in the grind, and power in pain. One who goes the distance, stops at nothing, and always believes.” Ms. Skudder created MyStryde because she knows running has the power to change your body, your mind, and your soul. “One run can not only change a mood, but a day and even a life,” says she. With mystryde, Becca and her team intend to extend that runner’s high to anyone willing to lace up those “sneaks”.
